Animated greeting card



June 20, 1961 MaCDQUGALL ET AL 2,988,845

ANIMATED GREETING CARD Filed June 17, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR. Anne J. MacDougall, Howard E. Lohnes and BY James J. Krekow'ch cwmgw June 20, 1961 MaGDOUGALL ETAL 2,988,845

ANIMATED GREETING CARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1957 INVENTOR- Anne J. MacDougall Howard E. Lohneqwa Y James J. Kre/rowch.

ATTORNEYS.

. 2,988,845 ANIMATED GREETING CARD Anne J. MaeDougall and Howard E. Lohnes, Kansas City, and James J. Krekovich, Hickman Mills, Mo., assignors to Hallmark Cards, Incorporated, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed June 17, 1957, Ser. No. 666,098 4 Claims. (Cl. 46-37) This invention relates to animated illustrations, and more particularly to an animated character for greeting cards and the like.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a sheet of paper, cardboard or other flexible material characterized by having a back sheet with its side edges folded to form trackways; to provide the front of the back strip with illustrative objects; to provide a movable object having members movable in the trackway on the main body member; to provide means engageable with the movable member to move the same in either direction in said trackways and pass the illustrative objects on the front member; to provide the back member with trackways from one sheet of material with cut out portions on the illustrative character through which the movable member may be viewed; to provide the back sheet with the name of the sender to be uncovered by movement of the movable portion of the card; to provide a card of this character having a movable object on the body member having pull members for moving the movable member to one end of the body member in said trackways; to provide a drawstring secured to the opposite end of the movable member and engaging the opposite end of said card and extending outwardly from the mounting of the pull member whereby movement of the string will move the movable member in one direction across the body member and the pull member will draw it to its original position, and to provide an animated illustration of this character adaptable for greeting cards simple and economical to manufacture.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, we have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of our invention with parts broken away to better illustrate the same.

FIG. 2. is a cross-sectional view taken on a line 22, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the movable member shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blank sheet of the body member showing how the trackways are formed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of card.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on a line 6-6, FIG. 5.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates an animated greeting card embodying the features of our invention comprising a body member 2 constructed of a single sheet of material such as paper, cardboard or other flexible material, having illustrations for greeting cards or the like such as trees 3, houses 4, and other characters as illustrated in FIG. 4. The body member 2 has a fold line 5 spaced from the side edge 6 of the card designated as the upper side and spaced substantially midway between the edge 6 and the fold line 5 is a fold line 7, the space between the fold line 7 and edge 6 forming a space 8 for greetings or the like as indicated at 9, and the strip 8 having extensions at either end forming tabs 10 and 11.

Spaced from the other edge 12 of the body member 2 is a fold line 13', the edge 12 being cut irregularly and United States Patent 0 "ice having extensions depicting a tab "14 illustrating an object such as a house 15 and a tree 16 as well as other extensions or tabs as illustrated at 17 and 18' as desired. The tab 14 has an elongated opening 19 serving as a window for a purpose later described.

In forming the card the upper edge 6 is folded on fold lines 5 and 7 and the tabs 10 and 11 bent around the body member 2 towards the back and secured thereto by adhesive or the like as indicated at 20 (FIG. 1), thus providing a tube or trough-like trackway 21 between the body member and folded portion from the fold line 5 to the edge 6. The outer edge 22 of the tab 14 is of a sufficient length to engage under the edge 23 of the traekway to hold the tab in place. The lower edge of the card is folded on the fold line 13 and provided with extensions 24- and 25 forming tabs provided with adhesive as indicated at 26 and with the lower edge folded upwardly on the fold line 13; the tabs are bent around to the back of the card and secured thereto by the adhesive, thus forming a lower trough-like trackway 34 between the body member and folded portion from the fold line 13- and the edge 12.

The animated member 27 may be of any particular character but is here shown to comprise a body member 28 having an upper side 29 consisting of extensions 30 and 31 on the body member 28 forming a guide adapted to engage in the upper trackway 21 and the lower part of the body member has extensions 32 and 33 forming a guide for engaging in the trackway 34. Any kind of character may be depicted on the body 27, but is here shown to be a sleigh 35 carrying merrymakers 36 by horses 37. Secured to the edges 31 on the upper guide 29 is a resilient member 38 such as a string or the like which extends through an opening 39 provided on fold line 5 in the outer end 40 of the card and outwardly over the tab 7 as best illustrated in FIG. 1. The tab 32 on the lower track or guide is provided with a similar string or the like 4-1 which extends through an opening 42 on the fold line 13 near the corner tab 24 and then outwardly therefrom.

After the body 2 is folded on the fold lines as above described to form the trackways 21 and 34-, the movable member 27 is placed therein and the ends of the string or cord 38 and 41 respectively run through the openings 39 and 42 respectively and by pulling the cord 41 the movable member 27 will be moved along the trackways to the right and the sleigh will pass behind the tab 14 and the horses and merrymakers will be viewed through the window opening 19 at the Same time the name of the sender will be exposed as indicated at 43. By pulling the cord 38 the movable member 27 may be moved back to the left of the body member or, in other words, may be moved to the right or left across the card and behind the tab 14 as desired.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 we have illustrated a slightly modified form of invention wherein the body member 2 and fold lines and tabs are given similar numbers as in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive; the difierence in this form of the invention is that there is no tab on the body member which extends over the trackways as in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive and the lower side is provided with fold lines the same as the upper edge to form the trackway 34; in other words, both trackways in this form of our invention are identical. The movable member in this form is depicted as an engine as illustrated at 44 and the body member 2 is provided with various illustrations of trees and an animal as at 45. It is obvious, of course, that any form of illustrations may be shown without departing from the spirit of our invention.

The movement of the movable member 44 is accomplished by the cords 45 and 46 secured to the movable member in the same manner as in the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive and the movement is accomplished in the same manner.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that we have provided improved details of structure for animated greeting cards or the like wherein the animated objects may be moved across the face of the front portion of the card in a new and novel manner.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article of manufacture consisting of a sheet of relatively stiff paper having fold lines spaced from the respective side edges of the sheet to define side portions bent forwardly to overlie adjacent portions of the sheet and in spaced relation therewith whereby said side portions and adjacent portions cooperate to form trackways therebetween, the trackway on one side of said sheet facing the trackway on the other side, tabs on the respective ends of the folded over portions bent around ends of the sheet of paper and secured thereto to substantially close ends of said trackways and to hold said bent side portions in trackway defining position, a movable character having elongated side edges forming guides for engaging in the respective trackways, and cords attached to the end of a guide on the upper side of the movable character and to the guide on the lower side of the movable character on the diagonally opposite corner from the attachment of the first cord, said cords being movable in the trackways to move the movable character across the face of the sheet in either direction.

2. An article of manufacture consisting of a sheet of relatively stiff paper having front and back faces and having fold lines spaced from the respective side edges of the sheet to define side portions bent forwardly to overlie adjacent portions of the sheet and in spaced relation therewith whereby said side portions and adjacent portions cooperate to form trackways therebetween, the trackway on one side of said sheet facing the trackway on the other side, tabs on the respective ends of the folded over portions having adhesive on one side thereof, said tabs being bent around ends of the sheet of paper and secured to the back face thereof to substantially close ends of said trackways and to hold said bent side portions in trackway defining position, a movable character having guides for engaging in the respective trackways, and cords attached to one end of a guide on the upper side of the movable character and to the end of the guide on the lower side of the movable character on the opposite end thereof, said cords engaging diagonally opposite upper and lower corners of the sheet and extending outwardly from said trackways and being movable in the trackways whereby pull on the lower cord will move the movable character across the face of the sheet in one direction and pull on the upper cord will move said character in the opposite direction.

3. A greeting card of the character described consisting of a relatively stiif sheet of paper having front and back faces having a pair of spaced fold lines parallel with and spaced from each of the respective side edges of the sheet to define side members each having intermediate portions and outer portions, said side members being bent forward- 1y whereby said intermediate portions overlie adjacent portions of the front face of the sheet and in spaced relation therewith, said outer portions each being bent backwardly to overlie the respective intermediate portions whereby said side members and adjacent portions of the sheet cooperate to form trackways therebetween, the trackway on one side of said sheet facing the trackway on the other side, tabs on respective ends of the outer portions of said side members, said tabs being bent around ends of the sheet of paper and having an adhesive material on one side for engaging the back face of the sheet to substantially close ends of said trackways and to hold said bent side members in trackway defining position, a movable character having side edges forming guides on the upper and lower edges for engaging in the respective trackways, and cords attached to an end of a guide on the upper side of the movable character and to the guide on the lower side of the movable character on the diagonally opposite corner from the attachment of the first cord, said cords being movable in the trackways to move the movable character across the face of the sheet in either direction, the space on the outer portion of said side member at the upper edge of the sheet carrying greetings and the front face of the sheet carrying the name of the sender which is normally covered by the movable character but is uncovered by pull on one of the cords to move the character, said movable character being shorter than the front face of said sheet.

4. An article of manufacture made from a sheet of relatively stiff material having a front face and having a pair of spaced fold lines parallel with and spaced from each of the respective side edges of the sheet to define side members each having intermediate portions and outer portions, said side members being bent forwardly whereby the intermediate portions overlie adjacent portions of the sheet and in spaced relation therewith, said outer portions each being bent backwardly to overlie the respective intermediate portions whereby said side members and adjacent portions of said sheet cooperate to form trackways therebetween, the trackway on one side of said sheet facing the trackway on the other side, said front face of said sheet having scenery thereon substantially across said face, means on the respective ends of the outer portions of said side members engaging said sheet and substantially closing ends of said trackways and holding said bent side members in trackway defining position, a movable character having guides for engaging in the respective trackways, an elongate flexible member having an end secured to a guide of the character at one end thereof, and an elongate flexible member having an end secured to a guide at the opposite end of the character whereby force can be applied through said flexible members to the character to move the same in the trackways across the sheet in either direction, said movable character being substantially shorter than said face of said sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 876,278 Mayerle Jan. 7, 1908 1,008,195 Prichard Nov. 7, 1911 1,036,930 Tabler Aug. 27, 1912 1,517,958 Corthell Dec. 2, 1924 1,603,592 Glasner Oct. 19, 1926 1,652,971 Augur Dec. 13, 1927 1,662,100 Blum Mar. 13, 1928 1,678,722 Carlson n--. July 31, 1928 1,703,159 Monheim Feb. 26, 1929 2,028,323 Goodman Ian. 21, 1936 2,083,912 Johntz June 15, 1937 2,205,262 Hayes June 18, 1940 2,271,530 Wick Feb. 3, 1942 2,618,887 Frankenstein Nov. 25, 1952 2,624,958 Fine Jan. 13, 1953 2,764,414 Strange Sept. 25, 1956 

